Gordon Lightfoot was born on November 17th in 1938 in Orillia, Ontario. He took piano lessons and voice lessons and performed music as a child. He also played drums.
Gordon entered several musical competitions and won first place in the under 13 years of age vocalclass at the Toronto Kiwanis Festival. He won first place again the following year in 1952 and appeared at Massey Hall and sang his winning performance of a song called ‘Who is Sylvia’.
Gordon started writing his own songs around the age of 18. His first song was called ‘The Hula HoopSong’. He later became one of Canada’s most popular songwriters and is famous for his songs suchas ‘If You Could Read My Mind’, ‘Early Morning Rain’, ‘Sundown’ and ‘The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald’. The song ‘The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald’ is based on a true story about a ship that sank in Lake Superior on November 10th, 1975. The song became one of his most popular songs and was nominated for a Grammy music award in 1977.
Gordon Lightfoot often performs several concerts at Massey Hall in Toronto during November. In
2003 he was inducted into the Canadian Songwriter Hall of Fame at the Glen Gould Theatre in
Toronto, Ontario.
Read the text again and answer the questions:
1. Where was Gordon Lightfoot born?
2. Name two types of music lessons Gordon took as a child.
3. When did he start writing his own songs?
4. Name two popular songs written by Gordon Lightfoot.
5. What Lightfoot song is based on a ship that sank in Lake Superior?
6. What concert hall does Gordon Lightfoot often play in November?
7. What year was he inducted into the Canadian Songwriter Hall of Fame?
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Activity 1
Gordon Lightfoot was born on November 17th in 1938 in Orillia, Ontario. He took piano lessons and voice lessons and performed music as a child. He also played drums.
Gordon entered several musical competitions and won first place in the under 13 years of age vocalclass at the Toronto Kiwanis Festival. He won first place again the following year in 1952 and appeared at Massey Hall and sang his winning performance of a song called ‘Who is Sylvia’.
Gordon started writing his own songs around the age of 18. His first song was called ‘The Hula HoopSong’. He later became one of Canada’s most popular songwriters and is famous for his songs suchas ‘If You Could Read My Mind’, ‘Early Morning Rain’, ‘Sundown’ and ‘The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald’. The song ‘The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald’ is based on a true story about a ship that sank in Lake Superior on November 10th, 1975. The song became one of his most popular songs and was nominated for a Grammy music award in 1977.
Gordon Lightfoot often performs several concerts at Massey Hall in Toronto during November. In
2003 he was inducted into the Canadian Songwriter Hall of Fame at the Glen Gould Theatre in
Toronto, Ontario.
1. Where was Gordon Lightfoot born?
2. Name two types of music lessons Gordon took as a child.
3. When did he start writing his own songs?
4. Name two popular songs written by Gordon Lightfoot.
5. What Lightfoot song is based on a ship that sank in Lake Superior?
6. What concert hall does Gordon Lightfoot often play in November?
7. What year was he inducted into the Canadian Songwriter Hall of Fame?
Activity 2
Activity 3
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Activity Book
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